1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to storage and shipping containers and more particularly to a storage and shipping container for insects where the insects are to be used for food or bait.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some insects are genetically bred to be used as food or bait. Some insects are fed to fish, frogs, other amphibians, tarantulas, praying mantises, scorpions, spiders, and so forth. Common insects that are produced and sold as food and bait for fish are grey crickets and fruit flies. Fruit flies are used as food for invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians.
From where the crickets and fruit flies are produced, such needs to be made available to the consumer. There are aquarium businesses and bait shops that sell both crickets and fruit flies. It is common for the crickets and fruit flies to be sent in mass in some type of shipping container. The retail merchant is to extract an approximate number of the crickets and place such in some kind of container, usually a paper pot, for the consumer to take such to his home, business or fishing area to thereby utilize the insects.
Food and water have to be included with the insects as they are shipped or, of course, the insects will die. It is common that, in conjunction with crickets, a small quantity of a vegetable is placed within the shipping container. The crickets walk all over the food leaving feci deposits which is undesirable for the health of the crickets and can actually result in the crickets dying prematurely.
It is normal that when shipping crickets to a destination about ten percent die. This is undesirable as dead crickets are not saleable. It is desirable to utilize some form of shipping container where it is normal that less than five percent of the crickets die.
The overall normal procedure for selling of insects requires direct involvement by the retail merchant in order to obtain a desired quantity of insects placed within a box-type container and given to the consumer. It would be desirable to have some kind of container that could be manufactured with this container being designed to hold an approximate number of insects and utilized for shipping to the retail merchant. Then the container only needs to be purchased by the user with the user then dispensing the insects directly from the container. No contact by any human being with the insects is required.
An insect storage and shipping container which comprises a vessel which has an internal chamber with the vessel having a floor and an enclosing sidewall. Also, there is an open top edge. There is mounted within the internal chamber of the vessel a panel mounting means which is mounted on both sidewall and the floor. Spaced-apart panels are removably mounted in conjunction with the panel mounting means with each of the panels having a vertical groove. A food cake is designed to be placed between the vertical grooves which functions as a secure location mount for the food cake.
A further embodiment of the present invention is where the basic embodiment is modified by the vessel being cylindrical.
A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by the sidewall of the vessel being transparent.
A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by each of the panels including a mass of ridges in order to provide surfaces upon which the insects can walk.
A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by there being incorporated a separate grate in conjunction with the panels. The grate is to be slidingly mounted on the panels.
A further embodiment of the present invention is where the first basic embodiment is modified by there being included a lid which includes air holes, with the lid to be mounted on the vessel and function to close the access opening into the internal chamber at the top edge. Exteriorly mounted on the lid are a series of spacers which permits stacking of the containers and not closing of the air holes when they are stacked.